Store-service apparatus



(No Model.)

E. P. o sGooD. STORE. SERVICE APPARATUS.

Patented Feb. 24, l1885;

VIA

7th day of June last.

' .STATES ATEN 1 To all whom it may concern.

V Be it known that I, EDWIN P. Oscoop, of Malden, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Cash-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the followingis afull, clear, and:` exactdescription of the same. LVMyinv'entionrelatesyto cash-car systems, and is an improvement'upon the apparatus shown'in'the application liled by me on .the In that apparatus a cashcar` systemconsisted of a horizontal Wire stretched between ixed supports, andhaving a car suspended upon tracks adapted to run vupon the wiretraclgthe car being simply a receptacle or boX adapted to receivepackages, change, memorandum-books, and the like. Inconveniencesometimes occurs in i the use of such carsf, arising from the elevatedposition of the wire, the car being out of the. reach of some of theattendants. It is necessary that the wire or wires should be placed to asufficiently elevated position so as not to be in the way.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide means wherebythe car, or that part of it which receives the packages, change, Src.,may be drawn down in order to receive such articles and then returned toits position; and my invention consists, principally, of a car adaptedtorun upon an elevated track, and to be drawn Vdown to receive thearticles to be conveyed, and then to return to its normal position inpreparation for starting upon its movement ou the track.

It also consists of some details of construe" tion relating to the carand to the track, all of which are hereinafter explained, and indicatedin the claims.

It will be understood that the apparatus is designed for use in storesand similar places.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carmounted upon its wire and closed in readiness for propulsion. Fig. 2 isa similar view with the car open. Fig. 3 is an end viewl Fig. 4 is aperspective view. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a terminal station for theradial conductors. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the end of oneof the' conductors and its connections; Fig. 7, a sectional detail.

`sToaE- seuvlcia APPARATUS.

FEACIIVIQTONfrming part of Letters Patent No. 312,753, dated February24, 1885.

` i Application sied Jury 2o, less. (N0 monti.) y

In these drawings, G represents a part ofthe l I wire track, which issuspended at the ends horizontally, when drawn ,taut by any suitaablemeans. Upon the track is suspended a platform, E, by means of hangers eand wheels F. I have shown two wheels, this being the preferred number,but do not limit myself to this particular number. The hangers e arei'iXed at their lower ends in the platform E, and

are preferably forked, as shown inFig. 3, the

wheels being placed Ibetween the forks,. and being adapted to turnontheir pivots, `which, pass through the upper ends of the prongs of thehangers. rlhe `wire G passesalso between the hangers, and the wheelsvbear directly upon the wire. In this way the car is bal-` ancedaccurately upon the wire, as the hang ers are placed on the centrallongitudinal line of the platform, and the car is adapted to` run'freely in either direction by a push. The tray a, which receives thearticles to be carried, is suspended underneath the platform E by meansof straps C C. The principle of my invention requires that these strapsshall be elastic, or shall be connected to some elastic mechanism, sothat the straps or their connections will yield when the tray ais drawndown,

an'd when the tray is released will automatically draw it up again tothe platform E.

I have shown the straps CC as attached to arms c c on the standards justabove'the platform E; but they may be connected directly to the platformitself. They are rigidly attached at their upper ends, and, as hereinshown, are composed of flat spring metal. They extend downward., asshown in Fig. 2, and pass through slots in the tray a, and are attachedat their lower ends to grooved pulleys on the ends of a roller, B.(Shown in Figs. l, 4, and 7.) rIhe springs are made ina coiled form, sothat when the tray is released after being drawn down the springs willcoil themselves upon the roller and of their' own force raise the trayand bring it up against the under side of the platform E. It will beunderstood, therefore, that these springs automatically coil upon theroller, and as the tray is pulled down they are uncoiled and eX- tended;but I may also place within the roller a spring, d, and coil it about ashaft, f, in the same manner as the ordi-nary spring of a cur- IOOtainroller is coiled and attached, so l'that the uncoiling of the springd will turn the roller and wind up the strap, the spring being` againcoiled when the tray is drawn down. hen this spring is used, the stripsmay be of any flexible material. It will be understood that the roller Bis mounted iu bearings attached to the bottom of the tray. The bearings,as shown in Fig. 7, consist in this case of brackets g, the upper endsof which are secured to the under side of the tray.

This tray may be grasped by the hand in any convenient place; but I haveshown a strap or handle, D, fixed to the bottom of the tray andsurrounding the roller. rIhis affords a convenient handle.

# The tray may be provided with a ange, h, extending either all aroundit or only upon one side and the ends. The latter construction is the:more convenient,-as the articles may be more conveniently removed whenone side is left open; but in this respect my invention may be variedwithout departing from the spirit thereof.

The articles are held securely in place while the car is in motion,either by the flanges or by the pressure of the tray against theplatform E.

I am aware that cash-cars have been hereto fore known with expansi blereceptacles adapted to receive different sizes of bundles or bundles ofirregular shape; and I wish to distinguish myinvention fromany such cashor parcel carrier, the purpose and result of mine being entirelydifferent-that isto. sayfinyif'apparatus is to provide a car which shallbe adapted to run upon an elevated way, so as to pass above the heads ofthe persons in the store, and which shall yet be capable of being drawndown into convenient proximity to the salesman or cashier.

I therefore claiml. A car adapted to run upon an elevated wire wayprovided with a tray or lower part connected to the upper by springmechanism and by strapsupports,` :and :adapted: to be drawn down withinconvenient proximity to the cashier or salesman and to return to itselevated position when released, substantially as described.

2. In a carrier for cash systems, the combi nation ot' a body, E,supporting-wheels F, a tray, a, roller B on the tray, and springsconnecting the'roller and tray to the body E, as described.

3. A carrier for store cash systems, `consist ing of a body andsupporting-wheels, a platform connected to such body by extensiblesupports, and a spring-roller, all substantially as described. Y v

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification :':ithe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LDV/'IN I). OSGOOD.

Witnesses:

S. T. PENNEY, C. L. FEssENDEN.

